


all the stars and all the songs (for you)

by friendlyneighbourhoodelf



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Gay Zuko (Avatar), M/M, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, You can't change my mind, band au, because she's toph, but only just, collage AU, most of them are gay but I can't be bothered to tag it, no one likes ozai, the gaang form a band, toph swears, yue is alive and sings because I love her
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25423171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friendlyneighbourhoodelf/pseuds/friendlyneighbourhoodelf
Summary: Sokka suggests the gaang forms a band, but they're short a bass player. (Not) coincidentally, Sokka's new roommate plays bass.Basically, it's another band au no one asked for, but I wrote it anyways.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi!   
> the atla renaissance is beautiful, and has inspired me to write, so welcome to another band au. 
> 
> just to make things clear from the start, the gaang form a band, azula, mai and ty lee are already in a band, yue is a singer/song writer (listen, I can't not include her, she's an icon), and suki is in a band/dance group (the kyoshi warriors). 
> 
> i don't play any of these instruments, and my knowlodge of music comes from viola/violin, so if i get anything wrong please tell me!

“We should start a band.” 

Katara blinked at Sokka, trying to work out if he was joking or if she had simply misheard him. 

Reading her expression, Sokka protested, “I’m serious! It’ll be fun!” 

Katara continued to look unimpressed, “sure, if we weren’t in collage. Or have you conveniently forgotten you’re in your final year.” 

“No Katara, I have not forgotten. In fact,” he said indignantly, “I want to do something fun before the crushing weight of exams, well, crush me.” 

Katara sighed, she still looked unconvinced, but Sokka knew he’d presented her with a reason she couldn’t object to. 

Katara looked at Aang, who seemed to be trying to look uninterested, but was failing badly, “Aang?” 

Aang shrugged, “like Sokka says, it could be fun.” He sounded nonchalant, but he was grinning. 

Katara considered for a moment, “fine. But you have to promise that it won’t interfere with any of your studies.” 

Sokka nodded, practically vibrating with excitement, “yeah, yeah, sure.” 

“Hey!” Toph made an indigent noise, “you didn’t ask what I thought.” 

Sokka raised an eyebrow, a gesture that was wasted on her, “I assumed you’d be down.” 

“Hell yeah I am.” She said, punching cheerfully in the arm.   
Sokka let out a squeak of pain, by now he was mostly used to Toph’s violent way of showing affection, but it still hurt. 

“Sokka,” Sokka looked at his sister, suddenly worried she’d object again, “has it occurred to you that we don’t have a bass player?” 

“Do we need one?” Toph said. 

Sokka ignored her, waving his hand as if to banish Katara’s concern, “I know a guy.” 

**…**

When Sokka said he knew a guy, he actually did know a guy. Sort of. If ‘know a guy’ meant ‘my new roommate plays bass, probably passable well, and I haven’t got him to agree to joining a band, but I think I can convince him’, then Sokka knew a guy. Also, the guy was hot. 

Despite being in his final year of college, Sokka still used student housing. It was easier, he’d decided, besides, he liked having a roommate. 

When he’d moved into his new room, his new roommate had already arrived and started unpacking, he’d also claimed the right side of the room which Sokka didn’t mind (he preferred the left, habit, he supposed). Despite being in the early stages of unpacking, his roommate’s stuff was ordered, at least as most as half-unpacked stuff could be. Several textbooks, play scripts and clothes were half put away, but what had caught Sokka’s attention was the guitar case on the bed, it was a hard case with several stickers on it which achieved the same level of chaotic ordered as it’s owner’s unpacking method. 

Sokka had deposited his own bags on his side of the room, carefully placing his guitar case on the bed. Then, turned to face his new roommate, who seemed to have been awkwardly waiting for Sokka to put his stuff down, he raised a hand in greeting, “I’m Zuko.” 

Sokka had grinned back, “Sokka.” It had not escaped him that his roommate was attractive, the scar that ran across one side of his face had not escaped him either, he couldn’t deny that he was curious as to it’s origin, but he doubted it was a cheerful story, and had a brain, so didn’t ask. He gestured to the guitar case on the bed, “you play?” 

Zuko nodded, “bass guitar.” He glanced at Sokka’s own guitar case, obviously considering the same question. 

Sokka saved him the trouble of asking, “me too. Well just guitar, though I prefer to sing. My sister plays more than me, we learnt when we were kids.” He paused, “sorry, I’m rambling.” 

Sokka half expected Zuko to chastise him, or at least have looked thoroughly bored, but instead he laughed softly. 

Sokka raised an eyebrow, “what?” 

Zuko shoot his head, still smiling, “it’s just nice.” 

Which had caused Sokka to blush furiously, mumble something about unpacking, and turn away.

Sokka almost walked past his dorm, lost in the previous day’s events, and having let autopilot take over. His last dorm had been in a different building, so he wasn’t quite sure where his autopilot had been taking him. He shook his head, not bothering to give it much thought, and turned back to his room. 

When he entered the room, Zuko was plucking away at his guitar, Sokka was pretty sure it was a song, played far slower than it should’ve been. Zuko didn’t noticed him enter, instead, he startled when Sokka closed the door with a soft thud, letting the guitar fall flat on his lap. 

He had turned a little pink, and studiously ignored Sokka as he put his guitar away. Sokka watched him, nervously biting his lip, maybe asking him to join a band wasn’t the best idea. Too late, he thought. 

Having regained his composure, Zuko was sat on his bed, watching Sokka. It then occurred to Sokka that he’d been standing in the doorway for far longer than was normal. He coughed awkwardly, moving to sit on his own bed. 

“My friends and I are starting a band.” Great start, Sokka, “and we need a bass player. And you play bass.” Never mind, he thought, it’s getting worse. 

Zuko looked at him in shock, but didn’t immediately object, which Sokka counted as a win. “You don’t know if I’m any good.” 

Sokka shrugged, “I figure anyone who lugs their instrument to collage has got to be pretty good. Or at least committed, which is just as important.” 

“I could just have bought it. This could be my first time playing.” Zuko argued, still not actually saying no. 

The stickers gave that away, they were clearly not new, but Sokka simply asked, “is it?” 

“No.” Zuko admitted. He rubbed his forehead, “I have a job, I won’t always be available.” 

Sokka laughed, “don’t worry, my sister wants to make sure she has plenty of time to study, so we can arrange around you working.” 

Zuko nodded, hesitantly at first, then certainty taking over, “alright then.” 

Sokka grinned, “awesome! I’ve got some music I can send you, and I’ll add you to our chat so we can arrange a time.” He reached into his pocket for his phone, still rambling. “Give me your number.” Sokka blushed, realising what he’d said and how it sounded. 

But, to his credit, Zuko ignored his blush, or simply didn’t notice, and held out his hand for Sokka’s phone. 

Sokka handed it over, watching as Zuko’s long fingers quickly typed in his number. Zuko returned the phone, and Sokka looked down at the new contact, it read Zuko, with a little smiley face. 

Sokka smiled, then quickly typed a message. “Now you can save my number.” 

Zuko looked down at his own phone, _your new friend Sokka :)_ , the message read. Zuko smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally going to be one chapter, but it started getting longer than I had time to write, so is now part 1 of 2. I was honesltly finding this chapter quite hard to write, so I hope this is alright!   
> thank you to everyone who left comments/kudos on the last chapter!

Zuko was sprawled across his bed, headphones in, he was listening to the music Sokka had sent him, and, though he’d never admit it to the other boy, he liked it. It tended towards the alternative side of pop, which Zuko found himself enjoying, but the lyrics were what interested him. They were the sort of lyrics that you needed to listen to twice to work out what was being said, and even then, you’d have to google it just to make sure. It wasn’t that the words were indistinguishable from the rest of the song, Zuko thought, but they demanded thought. In short, they were interesting. 

Currently, Zuko was more than happy to let himself concentrate on whatever it was that Sokka was trying to say, as it provided him the means to ignore the heavy pit of anxiety growing in his stomach. He stretched his arms above his head, shifting to a move comfortable position. It wasn’t that he was averse to making friends, a little hesitant perhaps, but that was normal his uncle had assured him, it was that when he meant friends he meant people you could say ‘hi’ to in passing and hold conversations with, besides awkward small talk. It seemed that Sokka’s definition of friends was far more intense, and involved telling all your darkest secrets (Zuko was very much against telling secrets), then getting matching tattoos (Sokka had jokingly suggested it), and apparently forming bands. When Sokka suggested he add him to their group chat, Zuko had instantly shook his head, and insisted he meet said friends first, which Sokka had (a little begrudgingly) agreed to, and instead told him the agreed time, and that he would walk him there. 

So, for the past hour Zuko had been trying to distract himself from the pool of anxiety that sat heavily in his stomach. Just when Zuko was sure he was going to go mad in anticipation, Sokka had barged through the door, startling Zuko from his thoughts. 

“You ready?” Sokka asked, grabbing his own guitar case and bag from where they were laid on his bed. 

Zuko nodded, he had been ready for hours, but didn’t mention it, and picked up his own case, the music Sokka had sent him tucked inside. 

If Sokka noticed Zuko’s nervousness, he didn’t mention it, instead keeping up a constant stream of chatter, about his day, his friends, and an incident involving cabbages. Zuko caught about half of it, he was trying to listen, really, but his mind kept wandering back to Sokka’s friends, and so falling into a spiral of anxious thoughts. 

“Hey, buddy, you listening?” Sokka asked, he didn’t look hurt, simply curious, and perhaps a little concerned. 

Zuko nodded, but Sokka looked unconvinced, to turn the conversation away from him, Zuko quickly asked, “where are we going?” 

“Toph’s apartment, she keeps her drums there so it’s easier for us to meet there.” Zuko nodded, no matter how much he could complain about lugging an instrument around, drums were really the worst option, “also her apartment’s super nice.” Sokka added. 

Zuko snorted with laughter. 

Sokka grinned, satisfied at making him laugh. Then, after a moment of silence, resumed his stream of chatter. Zuko didn’t know how, but he was certain that Sokka could keep it up for weeks if he wanted. 

A short walk later, they arrived at Toph’s building. Sokka was right, Zuko thought, the building was nice. Not fancy, but it was clearly well maintained, and occupied by people who had the money to live in the city in a nice building. 

“I know, right?” Sokka grinned, seeing Zuko’s expression. “Her parents are super rich, but they didn’t want her leaving for collage, so the compromise was they chose where she lived.”   
Zuko nodded, “I wouldn’t complain.” 

Sokka shook his head in agreement. Then, unlocked the door with a set of keys that were clearly his own. Zuko added it to the mental list of ‘things that made him feel awkward about intruding on this clearly very strong friendship’. 

Sokka led them up a couple flights of stairs, before stopping in front of a door and knocking. 

Zuko raised his eyebrow, “don’t you have a key?” 

Sokka shrugged, “it’s easier to let them do it.” 

Whilst they waited at the door, Zuko took the time to observe the corridor, he had to turn his head fully to look down the corridor, the vision in his left eye showing little more than coloured blobs. The inside of the building had the same nice, but not fancy appearance, the walls were painted a light grey that was probably very modern and fashionable, and the doors had uniform gold numbering. 

He looked at Sokka, who shrugged, it was definitely taking ages for them to be let in. 

Just as Sokka looked bored enough of waiting to actually let himself in, the door opened. The girl in the doorway was short, really short, but had the air of someone who was not to be messed with. She was dressed in an oversized green hoodie and black shorts, that were only just visible beneath the hoodie, her dark hair was tied up in space buns, and, Zuko noticed with a start, she was blind. 

He half heard Sokka introduce him, and quickly schooled his expression into something that wasn’t shock. The girl grinned and stuck out her fist. “Toph.” She introduced herself. 

After only a moments hesitation, Zuko bumped her fist, “Zuko,” he replied. Only after saying it he realised Sokka had already introduced him, he cursed himself internally. Why was he so bad at people?

Toph stepped inside, allowing them entrance, and Zuko followed awkwardly followed behind Sokka. 

Two other people were sat on a small sofa, a girl, who Zuko assumed to be Sokka’s sister, dressed in the same blue Sokka favoured, her long hair loose over her shoulders, and a boy, wearing a hat with a blue arrow on, and a bright yellow shirt, which caused Zuko to blink a little at it’s sudden colour. The boy’s head was resting on the girl’s shoulder, and they both seemed lost in their private moment. 

Toph seemed perfectly aware of this, and coughed loudly, causing them both to startle. The girl glared, and the boy looked a little sheepish, both of which were lost on Toph, who made her way over to her drums, and sat on the stool. She played a few loud notes, ensuring that the couple could not renter their quiet moment. 

Supressing a smirk, Sokka introduced them as Aang and Katara. Zuko smiled politely, being carful not to repeat his name after Sokka had already given it. This was fine, Zuko reassured himself, he hadn’t made too much of a fool of himself yet. 

After a few moments of chatter, which Zuko remained silent for, Sokka announced they should probably play some stuff. 

Toph, who was sat at her drums, simply remained where she was, spinning her drumsticks in her hand. Aang’s keyboard was already set up, Zuko assumed they’d done it before he and Sokka had arrived, so all Aang had to do was set up the precarious looking music stand and arrange the music Sokka had sent him on it. Katara, sat on a stool a little in front of Aang, was tuning her guitar, Zuko was impressed she managed it amongst the chaos of setting up instruments, he’d made sure to tune his bass guitar before arriving. Zuko noticed that Sokka had left his guitar in it’s case, and was simply setting up his microphone. 

He looked around for a chair he could use, panicking a little when he couldn’t find one, he sent Sokka panicked look. Sokka seemed to understand, and disappeared into another room, only to return moments later, dragging a chair. He handed it to Zuko, who nodded his thanks, Sokka returned a reassuring smile. Zuko took a deep breath, and began unpacking his guitar, his hands shook a little, and he took another breath, trying to still them. Far too quickly, Zuko had finished setting up his guitar and music stand, he played a few experimental chords, doing his best to ignore the fact his hands were still shaking a little. 

It only took a few moments before the others were ready too, working out they were ready from the silence that filled the room, Toph mumbled something about ‘them taking their sweet time’. 

Sokka grinned, he seemed to be shaking a little, “ready?” 

There was a chorus of agreement, and Zuko nodded. He was pretty sure he wasn’t ready, but, then again, he didn’t think he’d be ready any time soon, so he may as well get it over with. 

Sokka nodded at Toph, “alright.” 

Toph grinned, hitting her drumsticks together.

Zuko thought it was going well, they had stumbled through the first song, then played it again surprisingly well. Toph played fiendishly fast, and incredibly well, Zuko was in constant awe of her. Katara’s fingers moved up and down the neck of her guitar like she’d been born doing it, she managed to make the rhythm rise and fall like the tide, simply in the way she played the notes. Aang’s hands seemed to flow over the keyboard, bouncing from key to key. And Sokka sang well. Sokka sang really well. Zuko knew he sung well, he’d listened to the recordings, but watching Sokka sing was something else. It was as if he told secrets, and poems, and stories, and if he could’ve Zuko would’ve sat and watched him sing. 

Things were going well. Until the third song of the night. They played it through once, and as far as Zuko could tell, it sounded fine, but Sokka had immediately unpacked his guitar, played a few notes on it, then shook his head, suggesting they play it through again. This went on for about ten minutes, each time Sokka grew more and more frustrated, until Toph snapped, “Sokka what the fuck are you doing?” 

Sokka muttered irritably, “it doesn’t sound right.” 

Toph opened her mouth to argue. But Katara spoke first, “what if we take a break?” 

Aang looked at her sweetly, “can we get pizza?”   
Katara smiled at him, “alright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! any feedback is much appriciated.   
> I still need a name for the gaang's band, so please let me know if you've got any ideas (I'll credit you if I use it).

**Author's Note:**

> also! i need names for the gaang's band, and azula, mai, and ty lee's band, so if you've got any suggestions please comment/message me on tumblr (@friendlyneighbourhoodelf). 
> 
> thank you for reading!


End file.
